The present invention relates to a silicone sheet exhibiting excellent adhesion, protective properties and conformity when applied to the affected part and also excellent physical strength; and a surgical dressing made using the silicone sheet and a manufacturing process thereof.
A surgical dressing serves to protect the skin suffering from a burn or another injury such as traumatic injury, thereby promoting its recovery. Among various surgical dressings, a pressure dressing has been used widely for the treatment of hypertrophic scar, keloid or the like with a view not to disturbing the function of the affected part, for example, joint movement while completely protecting it from the outside world. This pressure dressing is however accompanied with such a drawback that it is not conformable to the joint movement or the like of patients, thereby impairing their moving function. In xe2x80x9cBurns, Vol. 9, pages 201-204xe2x80x9d, described is the use of a silicone gel which can adapt and adhere itself readily to the contours of the human body.
Although such a silicone gel has strong adhesion and good conformity, its stickiness impairs handling properties and in addition, owing to weak physical strength, it is easily torn when formed into a sheet. It has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-75055 to improve this physical strength by using a woven cloth, nonwoven cloth or film for the inside or one side of the gel sheet as a reinforcing agent. Use of a film or nonwoven cloth however markedly impairs the preferable conformity of the silicone gel sheet, while a crepe gauze does not exhibit sufficient reinforcing power and its conformity is not satisfactory. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 1-34370, proposed is a laminate of a silicone gel sheet and a silicon elastomer. This laminate overcomes the above-described drawbacks to some extent, but not sufficiently. In addition, this proposal needs an extra step for forming the silicone elastomer into a sheet or film by calendering or the like prior to laminating with the silicone gel sheet. It is difficult to form this silicone elastomer film to have a thickness of 0.1 mm or less owing to limitations upon processing, which disturbs the production of a laminated sheet having satisfactory conformity.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a surgical dressing which is made using a silicone gel sheet having improved physical strength without losing its original excellence in adhesion, protective properties of the affected part and conformity thereto; is readily handled; and is excellent in the prevention or treatment of skin troubles or diseases.